SLUM CONDITIONS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 16 August 1935, Page 7

SLUM CONDITIONS

CITY RELIEF WORKERS’ PLIGHT UNUSUALLY FRANK DISCUSSION BIRTH CONTROL ADVOCATED. Slum housing conditions in Wellington, the inability of relief workers and their families to obtain leases of dwellings from owners and agents, and the suggested establishment of clinics to give expert advice on birth control to women who are suffering acute social distress, were discussed with unusual frankness by a deputation from the women’s section of the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement which -waited yesterday afternoon on the Minister of Health, Hon. Sir Alexander Young. It was made, clear during the candid discussion that neither the Minister nor members of the deputation had any desire to indulge in argument about social problems, but that all were anxious to secure an improvement of conditions and to co-operate in an effort to promote the welfare of every community. Indeed, the Minister assured the deputation that, in advocating better living conditions and better housing for the unemployed and relief workers, he was with the deputation lOQ per cent., provided it was not associated with any political attacks, or any political party or with any movement aiming at violent changes in the order of society. SLUM CONDITIONS.

Mrs Freda Cook, the. principal speaker, said the deputation had a serious case to present to the Minister and the Government. It- dealt with the Wellington housing problem which, it was believed, was worse than in any other centre of population in the Dominion. Conditions- were so demonstrably bad, particularly for relief workers and their families, that the women’s council of the National Unemployed Workers’ Movement, having the complete support of all those associated with it, felt that it was imperatively necessary to ask the Government- to enact legislation for rent restriction and also preventing landlords from charging rents hopelessly beyond the means iof tenants. The council suggested that rents should be fixed at from 10s to 15s a- week. Even those rents were a severe burden upon relief workers. The courts were full of eviction orders, and hardship was both widespread and acute. Mrs Cook, after emphasising that she had no desire to exaggerate conditions, specifically referred to some of “the horror spots in Wellington.” Scandalous things were happening She cited several authentic cases of grotesque overcrowding, the worst being the case of 11 persons, including eight children, herding in a small four-r-oomed shack with outer corrugated iron walls—a (hovel, destitute of a bath or oven wash-tubs. The water tap was outside. “For this horrible place,” Mrs Cook said, “the rent is 15s a week.” Another hovel, no better, was swarming with rats. The rent for this place was 13s a week BIRTH CONTROL DISCUSSFJD Referring to cases of acute hardship in which, children were being born in a miserable environment, Mrs Cook said that expert clinical instruction on birth control should be provided by the Government. Sir Alexander Young: Are you definitely advocating birth control ? Mrs Cook: “I am definitely recommending that clinics should be established so long as the present deplorable conditions exist.” She referred to what was happening in the public hospitals. where two wards were given over to the treatment of women. The Minister suggested that the question should be referred to and discussed by' women’s organisations. Mrs 15. Barnes discussed the plight of relief workers who were being evicted from their homes because of inability to pay rent. She asserted that the Public Trustee and property agents had been instructed not to lex dwellings to relief workers. She also quoted several desperate cases of eviction. What was to be done about it r Were these unfortunate families to be deported to a desert island ? They

wete entitled as New Zealanders to have ; homes somewhere. She mentioned that municipal property had been vacant in the city for a long time, and suggested that *the empty’ shops should be converted, into residential flats at a moderate rgnjbal. One house had been empty for two years because the owner demanded a rent of £3 a week for it. Such properties should be taken over by T the State and made available for people who needed homes. “APPALLING CONDITIONS” Mrs Smith, a social worker, described - slum conditions in different parts of Wellington. She also referred to the question of birth control, mentioning the prevalence of births of children weighing only 4£ib. In many' cases housing conditions were appalling, she Said, adding that “deploxable circumstances were turning gooo women into Communists because under Communism women were looked after.” She also expressed the wish that she could take Ministers and members of Parliament on a visit around the slums GOVERNMENT’S POLICY Sir Alexander Young, in reply to the deputation, said the housing problem was re ei wing attention by' the Government.- It really • concerned the municipal authorities, but a special committee had considered the problem and would report to the Government soon after the return of the Ministerial delegates to London. Ho did not know the findings of the committee, but he had been given to understand that it would be necessary for tho Government to obtain statutory authority to make a thorough survey of tho housing problem throughout the Dominion. As regards other questions raised by the deputation he said he had been interested in a statement by a member of it that rents in Auckland were only about half of the charges in Wellington. “That may or may not be on examination,” he added, * but I notice that the Auckland City Council is spending about £20,000 on housing. There is no reason why the Wellington City Council should not move along the same lines. The Government is going into the. whole question.”